The Purpose of a Resume: To Win an Interview

Your resume must be better than anything your competitors have to offer if you are going to get an interview. A well-written resume generates phone calls. Those phone calls are from prospective employers who want to interview you for a job. If you are not getting phone calls and you are sending out resumes, then you need to take a closer look at your resume.

Any resume can list employment dates and job position titles, but only the best resumes speak the language employers want to hear.

THE LANGUANGE OF RESULTS

If you just list the job duties you performed and hope the prospective employer makes the leap that you are a good employee, you are probably going to be in for a big surprise. You see, they don’t have time to read your job responsibilities and then ponder how you managed to accomplish all that you did. Hiring managers simply do not have that kind of time. They are scanning a resume for the words that show results.

MAKE IT EASY FOR EMPLOYERS.

You have to show them that you are a cut above the rest of the crowd by providing concrete examples of your successes. Do the thinking for the employer and give them what they are looking for.

First, use action-oriented keywords that reflect your ability to solve problems, take initiative, are performance-driven and goal-based.

Second, quantify your statements with numbers that define your desire to affect the bottom line. Give examples of how you saved the company money or time (relates to money) or how you earned money for the company. Numbers have meaning and are easy to latch on to. Employers love to read quantifiable statements (that are truthful) as it paints a picture that SHOWS what you accomplished rather than the dubious joy of your words telling them what you did.

Resumes can work FOR you or they can work AGAINST you. When you list the information employers want to see, then you will have a great deal of success. You will be one of the ones to get a coveted phone call for an interview. If you don’t take the time to prepare a resume in a way that grabs a hiring manager’s attention, it is actually working against you.

Take the time to write an excellent resume. It may take a little longer to think of the right words to use, but in the end, when you are enjoying the benefits of an excellent career, you will be SO GLAD you did.

Best of Luck!

Carla Vaughan http://www.professional-resume-example.com

Carla Vaughan is the owner of http://www.Professional-Resume-Example.com
, a web site devoted to assisting candidates in the job-search process. She holds a B. S.in Business from Southern Illinois University and has authored a book titled, “The Do-It-Yourself Resume Kit” soon to be available on her site.